Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
acetylene

acetylene

5 7.5
A colorless flammable gas used mainly for welding and for making other chemicals
  • noun
  • /əˈsɛtəˌlin/
  • Specialized
: acetileno
  • Sulfurous light from the oxy-acetylene torch flashes on the walls and console.
  • acetylene torch
  • oxy-acetylene
  • acetylene tank

Examples

  • So we use Acetylene and compressed air instead of oxygen.

  • The welder used an acetylene torch to join the metal pieces together.

  • So here we have a mixture of Acetylene and air.

  • You start by lighting the Acetylene and then you bring in the oxygen.

  • So here we start with Acetylene and add HCL, right?

  • I had the acetylene torch in my hand...

    The Raven (1935)

  • Next, their parts were either stripped away or cut by acetylene torches.

    Academic text (1993)

  • I rented an acetylene tank for the cutting torch.

    The Lookout (2007)

  • With steady hands, he lit the acetylene torch and turned it on the door.

    Blog text (25)

  • Because that was the week my father, the welder, brought home his oxy-acetylene torch.

    Blog text (12)

Synonyms

ethyne
vsacetylene
  • Specialized
9.6

A colorless, highly flammable gas used for welding and making chemicals

is the common historical name used in everyday and welding contexts

Surface Forms

acetylene singular
acetylenes plural

Morphology

acetylene = acetyl (opaque) = acetyl + ene

The term is a technical chemical name formed from the combining form 'acetyl' plus the hydrocarbon suffix '-ene', but the specific identity 'acetylene (C2H2)' is specialized and not inferable by general learners.

Etymology

Acetylene comes from the part acet-, from a Latin word for 'vinegar', and the ending -ene, as in ethylene, which appears in names for simple gas compounds. So the name reminds you it is a small gas made of carbon and hydrogen, which fits its use as a flammable gas for welding.